The CDC defines maternal mortality as “the death of a woman during pregnancy, at delivery or soon after delivery.” While the chances of dying during childbirth or pregnancy have decreased drastically over the years, many countries around the world, especially countries with ongoing conflict or poverty, tend to struggle with lowering maternal mortality rates. India is one prime example of a country where women face a high risk of maternal mortality.
Maternal Mortality in India
In 2017, India had the second-highest count of maternal mortality, behind only Nigeria. India noted 35,000 maternal deaths in 2017. In fact, “pregnancy-related complications are the number one cause of death among girls between 15 and 19 years of age” in India, UNICEF says.
For starters, these statistics are due in part to the sheer number of babies being born in India. The population of India much surpasses that of the U.S. or U.K., for example, so it stands to reason that India would see higher numbers of maternal death. Still, for the period 2016-2018, India’s maternal mortality rate stood at 113 per 100,000 live births compared to just 17.4 out of 100,000 live births in 2018 in the United States. This means women in India are more than five times more likely to die during childbirth or pregnancy.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “women die as a result of complications during and following pregnancy and childbirth. Most of these complications develop during pregnancy and most are preventable or treatable.” It says further, the “high number of maternal deaths in some areas of the world reflects inequalities in access to quality health services and highlights the gap between rich and poor.”
Specific complications, such as excessive bleeding, high blood pressure, infections and delivery complications, account for 75% of global maternal deaths.
How to Reduce Maternal Mortality
As the WHO highlights, most maternal deaths are preventable. Access to quality health care services during pregnancy, amid labor and after childbirth is essential. “It is particularly important that all births are attended by skilled health professionals, as timely management and treatment can make the difference between life and death for the mother as well as for the baby,” the WHO explains.
India has a universal health care system, yet there are significant differences in the quality of health care in urban and rural areas, with rural areas generally having lower quality health care and fewer options. There is also a disparity between private hospitals and the hospitals that operate on the universal plan. Generally, privately operated hospitals in India have better care but are more expensive. This paradigm means low-income women and women who live in rural areas are at a disadvantage when it comes to receiving timely and high-quality prenatal and postpartum care.
UNICEF and the Indian Government Combat Maternal Mortality
Despite these grim statistics, the government of India, along with UNICEF, has been making strides toward lowering maternal mortality. In the span of just three years, India lowered the number of women dying during childbirth from 130 in every 100,000 (2014-2016) to 113 in every 100,000 (2016-2018).
According to UNICEF, “Maternal mortality is considered a key health indicator and the direct causes of maternal deaths are well known and largely preventable and treatable.” In fact, UNICEF is working with the Indian government to implement standardized birth policies that birth care providers must follow. For instance, through the Reaching Every Mother initiative, UNICEF assists the health ministry in implementing a policy directing that every birth should occur in a health center with the presence of a skilled health professional.
In addition, UNICEF supports the Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) program, which, according to the UNICEF website, “provides a fixed day for assured, comprehensive and quality antenatal care free of cost to pregnant women on [the] 9th of every month.” The initiative aims to “strengthen antenatal care detection and follow-up of high-risk pregnancies” while lowering the prevalence of maternal mortality in India.
Efforts from the Indian government and organizations like UNICEF have already led to a dramatic decrease in maternal mortality in India, and hopefully, in the future, these numbers will continue to lower as people take more steps to keep mothers safe and healthy during their pregnancies and deliveries.
– Evelyn Breitbach
Photo: Flickr
The Effect of COVID-19 on Poverty in Seychelles
The COVID-19 pandemic had a tremendous effect on all of the world’s countries. However, the impact has not been the same on any two countries, especially when considering the state of poverty in some of the world’s more impoverished nations. Seychelles, an archipelago country located off of East Africa, has been through many ups and downs since the touchdown of the pandemic. In order to plan anti-poverty measures going forward, it is helpful to analyze the effect of COVID-19 on poverty in Seychelles.
Pre-Pandemic Progress
Seychelles has made much progress in reducing its poverty rates over the past few decades. It has the highest GDP per capita of any African country, even exceeding averages from other more prosperous countries on the continent such as Equatorial Guinea and South Africa. This is due to its robust tourism economy, which has been steadily reducing many of the Seychellois’ reliance on subsistence farming.
Though still having a sizable impoverished population, as many countries in Africa do, Seychelles has for the most part seen strong gains in the fight against poverty. For example, the total population of impoverished Seychellois shrunk by 13.5% between 2017 and 2018.
The Effects of COVID-19
The effects of COVID-19 have been widespread in Seychelles, both on the citizen’s health and on their economy. Though different numbers are out there, in 2018, the government of Seychelles itself reported a 25% poverty rate in the country. Due to COVID-19’s crippling effect on the tourism industry, the country’s economy changed during the first couple of years of the pandemic, which in turn has stymied opportunities for the country’s most impoverished residents to climb out of poverty. Thankfully, Seychelles’ economy has seen a strong rebound, thanks in large part due to the country’s tourism sector flourishing once again as the world has opened back up.
Progress Moving Forward
Though much remains in the effort to mitigate the effect of COVID-19 on poverty in Seychelles, the outlook is currently hopeful. In addition to Seychelles’ strong economic rebound, as the pandemic wanes, outside aid continues to play a vital role in offsetting COVID-19’s deleterious effects on the country. For example, in 2020 the World Bank pledged $15 million in aid to Seychelles to help mitigate COVID-19’s effects, with the loan intended to specifically help “protect the most vulnerable” citizens of Seychelles. Other nonprofits, such as Global Vision International and Nature Seychelles, work to help the people of Seychelles, especially those in poverty.
Today, while poverty is still a strong issue in Seychelles, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, the progress seen in reducing the impoverished population and providing economic opportunities has been heartening. Though the effect of COVID-19 on poverty in Seychelles has been strong, there have been many victories in the fight to reduce this effect.
– Elijah Beglyakov
Photo: Flickr
New Sources for Ukraine’s Energy
As the war in Ukraine approaches its one-year mark, the European Union implemented a new product ban on Russian gas to cut off Russian funding for the war. The soaring gas prices are responsible for numerous countries and their poorest citizens navigating the challenges of extreme energy poverty. The energy battle left many Ukrainians without energy for days, weeks and even months. Ukraine’s energy coming from new sources is necessary to support citizens nationwide. In the coldest months, Ukraine continues to fight for heating for homes and businesses nationwide. In early February 2023, USAID promised a new mobile gas turbine power plant to provide energy to more than 100,000 businesses and homes.
Ukraine and Its Dependence on Russian Gas
Energy prices skyrocketed worldwide, effectively pushing millions of European Union members and Ukrainians into energy poverty. Energy poverty is when energy bills consist of such a high percentage of income that they have no option but to reduce their household’s energy consumption, which then negatively impacts health and well-being. In Ukraine, 42 million cubic tons of Russian gas flow through the country daily, acting as a major source of income for Russia.
Throughout the war, Ukrainian energy supplies have been a prime target both physically and financially. Russia is a primary supplier of Ukraine’s energy. In August 2022, Russia’s Nord Stream One pipeline, a dominant gas vessel in energy transportation, shut down due to leaks and prices rose exponentially overnight.
In November 2022, Russian forces attacked major providers of Ukrainian energy and cut energy supplies by at least 30%. The energy cuts are in addition to diminished Russian gas supplies already cutting into energy sources available for Ukraine. Energy prices across Europe have increased on average by about 73%. Natural gas alone has risen in price by 122% within a few months. The rise in energy prices is forcing more and more Ukrainians into poverty. The latest estimate of impoverished Ukrainians is approximately 25% of the nation, a dramatic increase from the much lower 2% one year ago.
Sanctions on Russian Gas
Governments worldwide implemented sanctions on Russian gas to decrease potential funding for the war in Ukraine. After a year of nations changing and renewing sanctions, in February 2023, the European Union and all G7 nations, United States, Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Japan and Canada agreed on new sanctions on Russian gas. The latest ban is on all Russian diesel exports, a critical export of Russia. Diesel is an import that nations worldwide depend on for powering cars, farming equipment, factory machinery, and more to earn income. With each sanction, gas and energy prices could continue rising and Ukraine could be among the first nations to feel the price impacts of the sanctions. Ukraine’s energy coming from a new source without sanctions could allow a window of opportunity for Ukrainians to regain economic footing.
USAID’s Energy Assistance to Ukraine
The mobile gas turbine power plant that USAID has brought to Ukraine is not the first instance of aid from the U.S. Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, USAID has invested $55 million into energy supplies and assistance for Ukraine. The government organization has brought energy assistance in the form of generators and financial investments to lift the burden of energy poverty and traditional poverty off of Ukrainians.
The new mobile gas turbine could lessen the Ukrainian energy burden. Mechanics and engineers have rushed non-stop to bring new energy sources to Ukraine while fixing the ones the war destroyed. USAID’s efforts for Ukraine engage the public and private sectors. It is working to bring more relief and energy providers to Ukraine. One of USAID’s most promising partnerships is with G.E., a major energy conglomerate and USAID is hoping to bring more energy poverty relief efforts with G.E. energy poverty remains an issue in Ukraine, but Ukraine’s energy coming from a source where they will not be skirting sanctions could help stop or at least slow the rise of poverty rates.
– Clara Mulvihill
Photo: Flickr
Disability and Poverty in Pakistan
Disability and poverty in Pakistan are interconnected. According to the Department for International Development, “poverty is both a cause and consequence of disability.” By exploring the links between disability and poverty in Pakistan, governments and organizations can develop solutions to address the root cause of the issue. Several organizations are working to improve the lives of people with disabilities in Pakistan.
Poverty in Pakistan
The World Bank says Pakistan has seen significantly reduced poverty rates over the past 20 years. In particular, the “expansion of off-farm economic opportunities and the increase in migration and associated remittances allowed [more than] 47 million Pakistanis to escape poverty between 2001 and 2018.”
According to the Asian Development Bank (ADB), in 2018, 21.9% of the Pakistani population lived under the poverty line. However, the recent catastrophic and unprecedented floods have affected more than 33 million people in the country and an estimated 9 million more people are at risk of facing poverty due to the impacts of the floods, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) reported in January 2023.
Disability in Pakistan
According to Rooted in Rights, the estimated number of disabled individuals in Pakistan is 30 million. Despite this large population, the stigma surrounding disabilities means people with disabilities face inequalities, marginalization and ostracism.
It is imperative to voice and provide the views of the less fortunate and disabled and this starts by acknowledging that there is a strong connection between disability and poverty. People with disabilities are more likely to fall into poverty due to higher medical costs associated with their disability and a lack of inclusive education opportunities.
Individuals who are impoverished are also at risk of developing disabilities due to inadequate access to health care to address a health issue before it becomes an untreatable disability.
It is also difficult for people with disabilities to find work because of their limitations. According to the United Nations, “in developing countries, 80% to 90% of persons with disabilities of working age are unemployed, whereas in industrialized countries the figure is between 50% and 70%.”
The Work of NOWPDP
Beginning its work in 2008, NOWPDP, a leading disability organization in Pakistan, holds a vision to “ensure each and every person with a disability has equal access to opportunities, awareness about their rights and benefits, and is in fact, an integral part of the society.” Through several programs, the organization aims to empower people with disabilities so that they may live productive and fulfilling lives.
The initiatives aim to promote financial, education and employment inclusion for all people with disabilities, among other efforts. For instance, NOWPDP runs the 100 DAYS 100 LIVES campaign, which provides businesses with the opportunity to play an active role in disability inclusion in Pakistan by providing employment opportunities for 100 individuals with disabilities in Karachi for 100 days per year.
Looking Ahead
Dissolving the common misconception that the disabled are not as capable as the able-bodied is extremely important in the fight to promote disability inclusion in Pakistan. By acknowledging the connection between disability and poverty in Pakistan, the Pakistani government can look toward establishing comprehensive policies to empower people with disabilities and allow them to live a better quality of life.
– Nimra Nasur Mir
Photo: Flickr
Reducing Maternal Mortality in India
The CDC defines maternal mortality as “the death of a woman during pregnancy, at delivery or soon after delivery.” While the chances of dying during childbirth or pregnancy have decreased drastically over the years, many countries around the world, especially countries with ongoing conflict or poverty, tend to struggle with lowering maternal mortality rates. India is one prime example of a country where women face a high risk of maternal mortality.
Maternal Mortality in India
In 2017, India had the second-highest count of maternal mortality, behind only Nigeria. India noted 35,000 maternal deaths in 2017. In fact, “pregnancy-related complications are the number one cause of death among girls between 15 and 19 years of age” in India, UNICEF says.
For starters, these statistics are due in part to the sheer number of babies being born in India. The population of India much surpasses that of the U.S. or U.K., for example, so it stands to reason that India would see higher numbers of maternal death. Still, for the period 2016-2018, India’s maternal mortality rate stood at 113 per 100,000 live births compared to just 17.4 out of 100,000 live births in 2018 in the United States. This means women in India are more than five times more likely to die during childbirth or pregnancy.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “women die as a result of complications during and following pregnancy and childbirth. Most of these complications develop during pregnancy and most are preventable or treatable.” It says further, the “high number of maternal deaths in some areas of the world reflects inequalities in access to quality health services and highlights the gap between rich and poor.”
Specific complications, such as excessive bleeding, high blood pressure, infections and delivery complications, account for 75% of global maternal deaths.
How to Reduce Maternal Mortality
As the WHO highlights, most maternal deaths are preventable. Access to quality health care services during pregnancy, amid labor and after childbirth is essential. “It is particularly important that all births are attended by skilled health professionals, as timely management and treatment can make the difference between life and death for the mother as well as for the baby,” the WHO explains.
India has a universal health care system, yet there are significant differences in the quality of health care in urban and rural areas, with rural areas generally having lower quality health care and fewer options. There is also a disparity between private hospitals and the hospitals that operate on the universal plan. Generally, privately operated hospitals in India have better care but are more expensive. This paradigm means low-income women and women who live in rural areas are at a disadvantage when it comes to receiving timely and high-quality prenatal and postpartum care.
UNICEF and the Indian Government Combat Maternal Mortality
Despite these grim statistics, the government of India, along with UNICEF, has been making strides toward lowering maternal mortality. In the span of just three years, India lowered the number of women dying during childbirth from 130 in every 100,000 (2014-2016) to 113 in every 100,000 (2016-2018).
According to UNICEF, “Maternal mortality is considered a key health indicator and the direct causes of maternal deaths are well known and largely preventable and treatable.” In fact, UNICEF is working with the Indian government to implement standardized birth policies that birth care providers must follow. For instance, through the Reaching Every Mother initiative, UNICEF assists the health ministry in implementing a policy directing that every birth should occur in a health center with the presence of a skilled health professional.
In addition, UNICEF supports the Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) program, which, according to the UNICEF website, “provides a fixed day for assured, comprehensive and quality antenatal care free of cost to pregnant women on [the] 9th of every month.” The initiative aims to “strengthen antenatal care detection and follow-up of high-risk pregnancies” while lowering the prevalence of maternal mortality in India.
Efforts from the Indian government and organizations like UNICEF have already led to a dramatic decrease in maternal mortality in India, and hopefully, in the future, these numbers will continue to lower as people take more steps to keep mothers safe and healthy during their pregnancies and deliveries.
– Evelyn Breitbach
Photo: Flickr
Addressing Hunger in Pakistan
According to the 2022 Global Hunger Index, the country of Pakistan ranks 99 out of 121 countries. With hunger in Pakistan’s score at 26.1 out of 50 on the index, the issue in the country is ranked as “serious.” The problem itself is due to a combination of factors. One is the devastating 2022 summer floods. A second is the current economic crises that are severely affecting the Pakistani government’s ability to manage food scarcity.
Hunger and Food Insecurity Across the Population
Almost 17% of Pakistan’s population is undernourished. Children are among the most greatly affected. Almost 40% of children under five suffer from “stunting” or have low height for their age due to undernourishment. “Child wasting” affects seven percent of children under five. This means that they are below the average weight for their age because of severe undernourishment. Finally, child mortality (children who die before age five) is a startling 6.5%.
According to the World Food Programme (WFP), a survey from 2018 showed that 36.9% of the population faces food insecurity. Women are especially at risk as among the most vulnerable and economically challenged portion of the population. Moreover, due to cultural and social taboos, many women find it difficult to access humanitarian services and aid. In addition, the World Food Programme found a direct link between girls’ level of education and all forms of undernutrition.
Flooding and Hunger
The devastating floods of the summer of 2022 further destabilized Pakistan’s rising inflation and poor economic situation. Pakistani government officials stated that the floods destroyed almost 80% of crops. This staggering number has major ramifications for a country where an average household spends around 50% of its income on food. Also, the State Bank of Pakistan proclaimed that foreign reserves fell to $4.3 billion. That is barely enough to buy three weeks of imports. Finally, even with pledges of $10 billion from the international community to help Pakistan’s recovery, supply chain shortages in everything from medical supplies to soybeans keep prices high and the people suffering.
Wheat is a staple food in the diet of an average Pakistani. The prices of wheat have skyrocketed, partly because of a decrease in wheat from Ukraine due to the war there. Wheat and flour are so scarce in some parts of Pakistan that armed police have to guard distribution trucks. At one point, desperation led people to stampede the trucks and the stampede led to the death of a person. Furthermore, food prices in the country rose almost 36% in December 2022, compared to 31% in November.
Support from Humanitarian Organizations
To combat these difficult challenges, organizations that fight hunger such as Action Against Hunger and Islamic Relief are comprehensively tackling hunger in Pakistan. In the province of Sindh, Action Against Hunger promotes kitchen gardening and supports farmers to grow crops that are resistant to changing weather patterns. The organization also provides communities with knowledge and information on new techniques to grow vegetables. Finally, it provides households with young children with goats and poultry. Action Against Hunger aid reached more than 2 million people last year.
Islamic Relief supported more than 1 million people in the aftermath of the floods. It provided communities with 40,000 liters of daily clean drinking water, 123 water tanks, 11,667 food packs and 7476 winter kits.
The challenges are very much present, but organizations are working alongside the government to implement new initiatives to eliminate hunger in Pakistan.
– Saad Ul Haque
Photo: Flickr
Gates Foundation Makes a New Commitment to Ending Polio
During the World Health Summit in October 2022, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation committed $1.2 billion USD towards ending polio worldwide. This commitment falls in support of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative’s (GPEI) Polio Eradication Strategy 2022 – 2026. The Gates Foundation has donated almost $5 billion to the GPEI.
“Polio eradication is within reach. But as far as we have come, the disease remains a threat. Working together, the world can end this disease,” said Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The GPEI’s Strategy will need $4.8 billion for full implementation. With the help of The Gates Foundation, UNICEF, The Rotary Club, the United States and many more, a total of $2.6 billion in funding is going towards the Strategy.
What this Means for Polio Eradication
The Gates Foundation’s financial commitment is only second in amount out of all parties who donated to the GPEI’s Strategy. “The fight against polio has done far more than protect children against polio. It has played a key role in strengthening health systems,” said Melinda French Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The commitment from the Gates Foundation and all the other parties involved will focus on ending polio in the “last two endemic countries – Pakistan and Afghanistan – and stop outbreaks of new variants of the virus.”
Polio cases have often affected those in the most underserved and impoverished areas across the globe. This is in part because the virus is transmissible through poor hygiene practices which are hard to practice for those without proper water and health care. The following countries and organizations are the others who contributed to the GPEI’s Strategy.
GPEI Strategy 2022 – 2026
The Strategy adds to two vital goals that are in line with the current progress of the eradication effort. The two goals are: (1) To permanently interrupt all Poliovirus transmission in endemic countries (Afghanistan and Pakistan). (2) To stop cVDPV (circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus) transmission and prevent outbreaks in non-endemic countries.
The GPEI Strategy will achieve these goals by “[transforming] its approach in each region and country through five mutually reinforcing objectives.” GPEI’s structure and holistic approach to the strategy support these objectives and goals. With everything in place for what the GPEI’s Strategy stands for, the eradication of polio is within reach.
Looking Forward
The Gates Foundation’s ongoing donation to the important goal of eradicating polio is vital to helping those in poverty. Polio disproportionately affects those in poverty as they are often unvaccinated and without proper means for hygiene regimens that would otherwise prevent the virus from spreading. The work of the GPEI, the Gates Foundation, UNICEF and many others can result in the eradication of polio with support from around the globe.
– Sean McMullen
Photo: Flickr
3 People Under 30 Who are Fighting Global Poverty
Young people feel discouraged in today’s political environment. As an age group, they tend to have the least number of resources, know-how and influence. Global poverty and suffering are some of the most widespread issues today and many young people feel helpless because of the magnitude of these problems. Here are three people under 30 fighting global poverty and inspiring young people globally.
José Quisocala
The first of the people under 30 fighting global poverty is José Quisocala who is a high school teen fighting poverty in his home country of Peru. He realized at age 7 that there were many children around him who did not have the same access to schools, health care or stable family life. He coupled his compassion for others with his desire for a clean environment and created The Banco del Estudiante Bartselena. The Banco del Estudiante Bartselena is a bank that allows children to turn in the litter they have collected in exchange for money. José has been running the bank for more than nine years, and during this time, he has helped more than 6,500 children pay for meals and schooling.
Joshua Williams
Joshua Williams is another high school teen who has put his heart and soul into changing the world around him. As a 4-year-old in Miami, Florida, Joshua realized there were kids in his neighborhood that were malnourished. To combat this, Joshua founded the nonprofit called Joshua’s Heart. Joshua’s Heart employs teenage volunteers to help raise money for the organization, package donations and distribute aid packages. Over the past 12 years, Joshua has globalized his nonprofit and has helped to bring food and hygiene products to almost half a million people across seven different countries. Joshua continues to work hard and encourage young people to join the fight against global poverty.
Sonita Alizada
Sonita Alizada is an Afghan rapper in her 20s who is globalizing and advocating efforts to end child marriage. She was born in Afghanistan, and during her early childhood, she and her family escaped the Taliban regime. Sonita and her family lived impoverished lives as refugees in Iran, forcing them to sell Sonita into child marriage at age 10. The contract fell through, but Sonita was only free until age 16 when her family tried again to sell her into child marriage. Sonita miraculously escaped and now uses her story to shed light on the saddening state of child marriages, which often have roots in extreme poverty. Thousands of girls share Sonita’s story, which inspired Sonita to make a difference by using her rapping skills to spread awareness.
Closing Thoughts
Global poverty is not an issue that one person or group of people can solve alone. Solving global poverty will require a united effort to tackle an issue that plagues people across all stretches of the planet. Young people generally feel the most discouraged about being able to make a change, but these examples of people under 30 show how kids and young adults can play integral roles in fighting global poverty.
– Alexandra Curry
Photo: Flickr
Estonia’s Foreign Aid
Estonia is a Baltic country located in Northern Europe, which gained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Although it is a newly independent country, Estonia has a developed economy with its globally known advanced digital services industry. Being an EU member state since 2004 and an OECD member state since 2010, Estonia’s economy is growing. The country’s GDP in 2021 was $51,531 billion, with $38,700 per capita, according to The CIA World Factbook.
How is Estonia’s Foreign Aid Organized?
Estonia’s foreign aid focus on two aspects, which are development cooperation and humanitarian assistance. Between 2020 and 2030, Estonia is providing development assistance, in particular to Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova in Europe and to Botswana, Kenya, Namibia and Uganda in Africa. Estonia’s priorities in its development aid are ensuring peace, security and stability, diminishing poverty in target countries, and sharing its development experience with them in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Estonia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that Estonia’s foreign aid serves not only the development of other countries but also Estonia’s own security. To realize this purpose, two institutions are in charge of organizing Estonia’s foreign aid. On the one hand, the Department for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia is the policy maker of the country’s official development assistance program. It sets strategies, and short-term and long-term action plans both for development assistance and humanitarian aid. On the other hand, Estonia Centre for International Development is responsible for implementing Estonia’s foreign aid projects both in development cooperation and in the field of humanitarian assistance, increasing Estonia’s participation in international aid projects and providing a bridge between the stakeholders and the beneficiaries. The centre is delivering its duties in a way that best serves the country’s interest.
The Amount That Estonia Spends on Foreign Aid
Although Estonia organizes its foreign aid professionally, when it comes to numbers, Estonia does not meet the international standards for official development assistance (ODA) amount. In 1970, the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee (DCA) set its ODA target for the first time that member countries should spend 0.7% of their GDP on their ODA programs. There has been no change in this target since then. Additionally, the member states who were members of the EU by 2004 agreed in 2005 to meet this target by 2015. Despite the fact that Estonia joined the EU only in 2004 and received an exemption from the aforementioned commitment, as an OECD member country, Estonia is still under the obligation of sparing an amount for its ODA equal to 0.7% of its GDP.
Estonia used to increase the ratio of its GDP spared for foreign aid. According to Estdev, in 2016, Estonia allocated 0.19% of its GDP for foreign aid, its record so far. Following that, between 2017 and 2020, Estonia spared 0.16% of its state budget for its ODA program. Lately, in 2021 Estonia increased this ratio to 0.17%, which is equal to $59 million, according to OECD.
The Future of Estonia’s Foreign Aid
It is a positive sign that the COVID-19 pandemic did not prevent Estonia from continuing its foreign aid activities at the same level. Moreover, the Estonian government pledged to increase the rate spent on foreign aid to 0.33% by 2030, according to its Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, this target is far from the OECD ODA target.
– Murathan Arslancan
Photo: Flickr
How Grian is Aiding Education in Ghana
Education in Ghana is a consistent challenge, particularly in rural areas with “poor classroom conditions, inadequate textbooks and teaching materials and a high rate of female dropout after primary level.” The overall quality of education is low, with a child who has completed nearly 12 years of school having only learned the equivalent of fewer than six years of schooling. According to Cross Catholic Outreach, “nearly a third of students don’t complete primary school and only 47% complete secondary school.” Access to education aids the fight against poverty because receiving a high-quality education improves the likelihood of success for young children. Gender inequality is another issue for education in Ghana; child marriages, labor and the overarching stereotype that a female’s education is “less valuable” than a male’s.
Who is Grian?
Grian is a content creator, primarily publishing Minecraft videos on YouTube. Most known for being a prominent member of Minecraft’s Hermitcraft series, Grian has more than 8 million subscribers on YouTube meaning that he has the ability to reach and potentially influence a wide audience from all over the world. Over the course of 2021, Grian and his viewers worked on raising money to build a primary school in Ghana. Through various online events, they raised a total of more than £27,000 (almost $37,000), surpassing the sum needed to finish the project. While Grian raised this amount of money, credit also has to go to Nana A. Bonin III, Queen Mother of Denyase Traditional Area in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. She is the sole founder of this school and has worked to raise money since the project began in 2017.
The Denyaseman Village Pre-School
The Denyaseman Village Pre-School is located in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. In July 2022, the “official ceremony to commission the school took place.” In addition to the financial support from Grian’s efforts, there were demonstrations of generosity from the community, with a local tailor offering to “make the school uniforms if the parents provided fabric.” This project reflects the need for educational development in rural areas of Ghana. The Denyaseman Village Pre-School is just one example of work people do to boost education in Ghana.
The completion of Grian’s project will undoubtedly increase the quality of life of local children, both now and in the future. When looking at education in Ghana, the statistics are telling enough that work is necessary to boost accessibility to learning resources. The education system faces “a fragmented and overloaded curriculum, unequal access and weak and incoherent administrative control.” In Ghana, it is common for students to “miss educational milestones” and drop out of school early and particularly for girls, educational outcomes beyond the secondary level are low, according to Cross Catholic Outreach.
The work of Grian is a prime example of someone utilizing their platform to advocate for the less fortunate. With more attention moving to the subject matter of extreme poverty, more influential figures could help the fight and aim to reduce poverty.
– Ruby Wallace
Photo: Flickr
Upholding Indigenous Language Rights of the Nez Perce
Furthermore, the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples affirms the right to language “as an inherent right for Indigenous peoples.” Article 3 specifies that “Indigenous peoples have the right to revitalize, use, develop and transmit to future generations their histories, languages, oral traditions, philosophies, writing systems and literature and to designate and retain their own names for communities, places and persons.”
The Nez Perce Tribe, also known as the Nimiipuu people, are the first peoples of north-central Idaho. More than 3,500 members reside in the Nez Perce Reservation located in Lapwai, Idaho, spanning about 770,000 acres. The Nimipuutímt language is an integral part of Nez Perce culture but risks extinction and is considered critically endangered. Efforts are underway to revive the language and protect Indigenous language rights.
The Nez Perce Language
The right to speak the Nimipuutímt language is one that the tribe has long defended. During the time of westward expansion, the Nimiipuu faced many challenges that led to them fighting to maintain control and access to their ancestral lands, language and identity. The tribe, like many communities speaking smaller or minority languages, had to choose between maintaining their language or receiving resources essential to their survival.
As Western settlers attempted to assimilate the Nez Perce people, settlers discouraged the use of the Nimipuutímt language, prevented its teaching and eventually banned it. Some parents opted not to teach their children the Nimipuutímt language in hopes of sustaining and protecting their future. Additionally, children from impoverished backgrounds are more susceptible to being unprepared for schools that use English as a medium of instruction, and so, the language began to dissolve.
Poverty influences language longevity and determines one’s socioeconomic standing. Poverty can also make developing language learning skills difficult. While sources differ on the exact number of fluent Nimipuutímt speakers, the number is certainly fewer than 100 people worldwide.
The Nez Perce Language Program
Angel Sobotta is a member of the Nez Perce Tribe and coordinates the Nez Perce language program taught at Lapwai School District in Lapwai, Idaho. Sobotta has worked with the program for more than two decades.
The Nez Perce language program is structured in such a way that the Nez Perce language coordinators visit a public school biweekly to teach an hour-long Nimipuutímt language lesson. Regardless of the grade level, the educators rely on similar techniques and utilize teaching tools such as flashcards, storytelling, worksheets and interactive activities such as learning games, class projects and studies.
Dr. Dan Harvey, a computer professor from Southern Oregon University developed the Acquisition of Restored Native Speech (ACORNS) software program specifically for Indigenous language revitalization. Sobotta and the language coordinators use this free ACORNS program to create engaging language learning material.
Living Languages Grant Program
In June 2022, the Indian Affairs Office of Indian Economic Development awarded $7 million in grants under the Living Languages Grant Program to 45 American Indian and Alaska Native Tribes and Tribal organizations.
The Living Languages Grant Program provides an opportunity for tribes to receive funding to document and revitalize languages that are at risk of disappearing because of a declining native-speaker population. Native language preservation is a priority for the Biden-Harris administration and its approach to strengthening and supporting Indigenous communities. The Nez Perce received about $159,000 in support of their language revitalization efforts.
– Dorothy Quanteh
Photo: Flickr